Edge connectors for printed circuit panels



April 28, 1964 A. B. CLEWES EDGE CONNECTORS FOR PRINTED CIRCUIT PANELS Original Filed July 2'7. 1961 El I Inve uior. Brasher Cleaves,

United States Patent Office 3,131,016 EDGE CONNECTGRS FOR PRHNTED CIRCUIT PANELS Antony Brasher Clewes, herwood, Nottingham, England, assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Original application July 27, 1961, Ser. No. 127,208. Divided and this application Dec. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 248,389

Claims priority, application Great Britain July 29, 1960 3 Claims. (Cl. 339-176) This application is a division of my prior copendin-g application Serial No. 127,208, filed July 27, 1961.

This invention relates to edge connectors for panels having electrical circuitry, printed etched or otherwise marked thereon.

Such edge connectors comprise a body of insulating material having a series of longitudinally arranged contact receiving apertures, an edge of a printed circuit panel being insertable into a longitudinal slot defined by the series of apertures such that contacts in said apertures engage selected parts of the circuitry of the panel.

The number of contact receiving apertures in such connectors varies according to the needs of the user which may demand a single contact or any number of contacts. Heretofore it has been the practice to form the strips with integral end flanges as a single piece molding of synthetic plastic, and this necessitates a separate costly molding tool for each different size of connector strip.

According to the present invention an edge connector comprises a body of insulating material provided with a series of contact receiving apertures and a longitudinal panel receiving slot defined by such apertures, one or both ends of the body having a separate end piece detachably secured thereto; each end piece being provided with means for engaging the adjacent end portion :of the body to detachably secure it thereto and also being provided with means enabling the end piece to be detachably secured to a support.

An important advantage of the invention is that the body portion of the connector can be molded in standard lengths which will provide the maximum number of contact receiving apertures likely to be required. If less than the maximum number of contact apertures is required, the long length is out or sawed through transversely to provide the desired length and an end piece assembled with one or both ends of the body.

An end piece will normally be assembled with each end of the body but if desired an end piece may be provided at one end only, the opposite end of the body being formed with integral means for connecting it to a support.

To enable the invention to be fully understood it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section of an edge connector having an integral end piece at one end and a separate end piece detachably assembled with the other end;

FIG. 2. is a plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the end piece; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the detachable end piece.

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 of the accompanying drawings21 indicates the body of the edge connector which is provided at one end with an integrally molded end piece including a flange 22 having an aperture 23 for receiving a rivet or the like for attaching the connector to a support. The body 2 1 is formed with a series of contact receiving apertures 24 which are separated by inwardly extending web like partition walls 25, the inner ends of which define a longitudinal slot 26 for receiving 3,131,016 Patented Apr. 28, 1964 a printed panel adapted to be inserted edgewise. It will be understood that the contacts to be inserted in the apertures 24- will be adapted to make electrical engagement with parts of the printed circuit of the panel.

The opposite end of the body 21 is adapted to have it separately formed end piece detachably assembled therewith. As m-ore particularly illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 this separately formed end piece is generally of L-shape including a vertically extending portion 27 and a horizontally extending portion 28; the latter having an aperture 2.9 for receiving a rivet or the like. The vertically extending portion 27 has an integral web 30' projecting from its face remote from the portion 28, the free end of the web having integral laterally extending arms 31. The web 30 has a width substantially corresponding to that of the longitudinally extending slot 26. The arms 31 have a width substantially corresponding to the width of the contact receiving apertures 24 measured in a direction longitudinally of the body and the combined length of the arms and the width of the web is such that the arms are capable of nesting into a pair of opposed apertures 24 with the web 30 positioned in the adjacent portion of the slot 26.

In use, assuming that the maximum length of a massproduced body 21 is longer than required, the body is cut transversely to the correct size by a cut extending along the side 25A of the appropriate partition wall 25, so that the end of the slot 26 will open into the cut face at one end of the body 21, the opposite end of the body having an integral end piece.

The separately formed end piece is assembled with the cut end by presenting the lower end of the arms 31 over the end-most contact receiving apertures and the web 30 over the slot 26. By moving the end piece downwardly relatively to the body, the arms 2:1 will slide into the said end-most apertures and the web 30 will slide into the adjacent end portion of the slot 26. The arms 31 are adapted to make a reasonably tight fit in the aperture so that the end piece will be secured by frictional engagement of the arms with the walls of the slot and apertures.

It will be noted that the lower end of the 'web 30 is cut back at 30a to form shoulders engageable with portions 211: of the body 21 to limit the inward sliding movement of the end piece as it is assembled.

The arms 31 are formed in spaced relation to each other providing a recess 31a which when the end piece is assembled with the body, forms a continuation of the slot 26 and serves to accommodate the end portion of an inserted panel.

The body portion 21 may be molded in any convenient length and have any desired number of contact receiving apertures. As, lhowever, connector strips in general use are normally of relatively small cross section, if they are molded in very long lengths difficulties are encountered on account of bowing and shrinkage.

Forty contact receiving apertures is considered to be a reasonable maximum for normal requirements and such lengths can be molded without encountering the difiiculties referred to.

Accordingly bodies of approximately this standard length can be mass produced, the bodies being cut to any desired length, and a detachable end piece attached to one or both ends of the cut lengths. Thus, the cost of making a separate molding tool for making each of a wide range of dilferent connectors is obviated.

I claim:

1. An edge connector for a printed circuit panel comprising a body member of insulating material, an end piece detachably assembled with said body member and a series of contacts assembled with said body member, said end piece comprising a base portion, a vertical portion extending from said base portion in integral right angular relationship thereto, a web extending from said vertical portion and a pair of arms attached to said web in spaced panallel relationship with said vertical portion and in spaced relation with each other, said body portion having a pair of walls defining a longitudinal slot, said walls having opposed pairs of spaced partition walls defining contact receiving cavities and said body portion having an open end, said arms of said end piece slidably engaging an end pair of said partition walls whereby said partition walls are sandwiched in abutting relation between one of said arms and a portion of said vertical portion.

2. An edge connector according to claim 1 wherein the web is engageable in the end of the longitudinal slot in the body and the lateral arms are of such dimensions as to make sliding engagement in the said endmost contact receiving aperture.

3. An edge connector according to claim 2 wherein the said end piece is formed as a one piece molding of synthetic plastic material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN EDGE CONNECTOR FOR A PRINTED CIRCUIT PANEL COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER OF INSULATING MATERIAL, AN END PIECE DETACHABLY ASSEMBLED WITH SAID BODY MEMBER AND A SERIES OF CONTACTS ASEMBLED WITH SAID BODY MEMBER, SAID END PIECE COMPRISING A BASE PORTION, A VERTICAL PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID BASE PORTION IN INTEGRAL RIGHT ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP THERETO, A WEB EXTENDING FROM SAID VERTICAL PORTION AND A PAIR OF ARMS ATTACHED TO SAID WEB IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID VERTICAL PORTION AND IN SPACED RELATION WITH EACH OTHER, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF WALLS DEFINING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT, SAID WALLS HAVING OPPOSED PAIRS OF SPACED PARTITION WALLS DEFINING CONTACT RECEIVING CAVITIES AND SAID BODY PORTION HAVING AN OPEN END, SAID ARMS OF SAID END PIECE SLIDABLY ENGAGING AN END PAIR OF SAID PARTITION WALLS WHEREBY SAID PARTITION WALLS ARE SANDWICHED IN ABUTTING RELATION BETWEEN ONE OF SAID ARMS AND A PORTION OF SAID VERTICAL PORTION. 